Newspaper inserting machine

ABSTRACT

A newspaper edition is assembled by successively feeding folded inner sections into each of a series of open outer sections passing therebeneath in a continuously moving line of conveying buckets. Each bucket is provided with mechanism for grabbing the first section fed thereinto to prevent rebounding, a set of vacuum-operated suckers which part the folds of the section, and a pair of dividing fingers which move as a unit into the part between the section folds and thence away from one another to open the section in cooperation with the suckers. A special vacuum control system which utilizes the movement of the buckets to effect opening and closing of a series of vacuum ports alongside the path of travel of the buckets assures that uninterrupted vacuum pressure is supplied to the suckers of each bucket for a substantial period of time, and an ejector in each bucket discharges the edition when the sections thereof have been completely assembled. A misfeed system senses when the edition of any bucket fails to receive a section and activates the ejector of such bucket to discharge the incomplete edition at a special collection point.

United States Patent [191 Cantrell, Sr. 7

[ 1 Jan. 16, 1973 [541 NEWSPAPER INSERTING MACHINE [76] Inventor: Ralph S. Cantrell, Sr., S 2 Route No. 1, Lake Lotawana, Mo. 64063 221 Filed: March 3,1971

21 Appl.No.: 120,632

[52] US. Cl ..270/55 [51] Int. Cl. .1 ..B65b 5/30 [58] Field of Search ..270/53, 55, 57

[ 56] 1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,300 3/1934 Zimmer ..270/55 2,159,987 5/1939 Hartmann et al. ....270/55 2,461,573 2/1949 Schweizer ....270/55 2,856,182 10/1958 Cantrell ....270/57 3,048,388 8/1962 Smith, Jr. et a1. ..270/57 Primary Eataminer-Russell R. Kinsey Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson, Hovey & Williams [57] ABSTRACT A newspaper edition is assembled by successively feeding folded inner sections into each of a series of open outer sections passing therebeneath in a continuously moving line of conveying buckets. Each bucket is provided with mechanism for grabbing the first section fed thereinto to prevent rebounding, a set of vacuum-operated suckers which part the folds of the section, and a pair of dividing fingers which move as a unit into the part between the section folds and thence away from one another to open the section in cooperation with the suckers. A special vacuum control system which utilizes the movement of the buckets to effect opening and closing of a series of .vacuum ports alongside the path of travel of the buckets assures that uninterrupted vacuum pressure is supplied to the suckers of each bucket for a substantial period of time, and an ejector in each bucket discharges the edition when the sections thereof have been completely. assembled. A misfeed system senses when the edition of any bucket fails to receive a sec tion and activates the ejector of such bucket to discharge the incomplete edition at a special collection point.

16 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 16 1915 3. 71 l. 083

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3.711.083 sum s are PATENTEBJAK 16 I975 NEWSPAPER INSERTING MACHINE This invention relates to apparatus for inserting articles such as folded newspaper sections into each of a series of folded jackets, such as outer sections of a newspaper edition.

ing the sections at a speed which justifies the cost of the machine. Control of the newspaper sections is particularly difficult in view of their inherently flimsy nature and multiple-leaf construction, and various types of machines have been designed in an attempt to improve such control, including machines which rely totally on vacuum apparatus to pull the jacket folds apart, and those which rely on mechanical structure to physically grip and move the folds apart. Such machines may also be broadly classified as types which open the jackets by means of relatively stationary structure disposed in the path of advancement of the jackets or those which utilize moving buckets to carry the jackets along the path, with each bucket having essentially self-contained opening structure thereon.

Because of the shortcomings of these machines to date, many metropolitan newspapers have been forced to resort to costly hand assembly of each edition. While the above problems are not always presented for weekday editions usually consisting of only a few sections which are printed and assembled by the press itself, Sunday editions are especially troublesome where a preassembled package of comics and feature sections must be combined with late-breaking general news and sports sections on Saturday night for delivery Sunday morning. Thus, sections issuing from the press must be collected, stacked, and moved to a convenient assembly point in preparation for the manual assembly operation.

It is, therefore, an important overall goal of this invention to eliminate the above problems by providing a highly reliable method and apparatus for assembling a complete newspaper edition consisting of folded newspaper sections disposed in nested relationship, such assembling taking place as the outer sections issue directly from the press at press speeds. This goal is carried out in the present invention by providing a number of improvements in the moving bucket concept of newspaper assembly wherein the folded, outer sections or jackets" are fed into a series of buckets advancing along a conveyor line and are then opened within the bucket in preparation for insertion thereinto of a second folded section or package as the buckets continue to advance along the line. Thus, one of the important objects of the present invention is to provide improved opening structure on each of the buckets for separating opposed folds of a section within the bucket in a manner that assures the presence of a clear, unobstructed area between the separated folds in preparation for a second section.

Another important object is to provide an improved, virtually leak-free vacuum system associated with the moving buckets which allows the suckers on each A further important object of the instant invention is the provision of means within each of the buckets, respectively, for grabbing a section as it is delivered thereto at high speeds in order to prevent undesirable rebounding and misalignment of the section.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide mechanism within each of the buckets for physically ejecting the completely assembled editions at a preselected delivery station.

A further important object is to provide a misfeed system which is operatively associated with the ejecting mechanism of each bucket for discharging incompletely assembled editions from the buckets at a location remote from the point of delivery of complete editions. In the drawings: I

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the apparatus of the present invention, illustrating in particular one of the movable buckets and its relationship with the vacuum system at one end thereof;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the left end of the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the opposite end of the bucket;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the bucket taken along line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the bucket taken along line 66 of FIG. 3 and illustrating the ejector mechanism of the bucket;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view through the bucket taken along line 7--7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 but with the bucket illustrated in a closed condition;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the bucket taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the apparatus on a reduced scale illustrating one arrangement in which the buckets may be disposed;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, substantially schematic view of a cam track along the path of travel of the buckets in FIG. 10 which is used to effect manipulation of certain of the components of the buckets;

F IG. 12 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view through a portion of the vacuum system taken along.

line l2l2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary, vertical, cross-sectional view taken along line 13-43 ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary, generally vertical, crosssectional view through the vacuum system taken along line l4--l4 ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, generally horizontal, crosssecticnal view of the vacuum system taken along line 15-15 ofFIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a view of the apparatus similar to FIG. 10 but on a further reduced scale and illustrating another combination of feeders and buckets of the apparatus.

Referring initially to the arrangement of FIG. 10, the assembling apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of receiving buckets 20 which are secured at opposite ends thereof to a pair of endless conveying chains 22 (only one chain 22 being shown in FIG. for movement in succession along a single path of travel. The chains 22 are driven by a large sprocket wheel 24 at one end of the loops of the chains 22, and the sprocket wheel 24 is, in turn, operatively coupled with the drive mechanism of a printing press (not shown). A plurality of feeding stations 26, 28 and 30 are positioned above the upper stretch of chains 22 for feeding newspaper sections or other articles to the buckets as they pass therebeneath on chains 22, and a conveyor belt 31 below the lower stretch of chains 22 comes away with a completely assembled edition after the latter have been deposited thereon by the buckets 20.

Details of the buckets 20 are best illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. Each bucket 20 has a pair of end blocks 32 and 34 which are bolted to one of the chains 22 respectively, and which support a generally U-shaped, formed receptacle 36 therebetween. The end blocks 32 and 34 also support therebetween a pair of horizontally spaced tubes 38 which are disposed above the receptacle 36 on opposite sides thereof and are journaled for individual rotation about their respective longitudinal axes by the blocks 32 and 34. Secured to the tubes'38 respectively for rotation therewith are a pair of elongated flaps 40 which define the mouth of the bucket 20, the size of the mouth at any one point in time thus being determined by the positions of the flaps 40 with respect to one another.

A pair of vacuum suckers 42 for separating folds of sections within bucket 20 are mounted on the flaps 40 respectively at the left end thereof viewing FIGS. 1 and 2 and open to the atmosphere on the inside surfaces of -the flaps 40. Each of the suckers 42 communicates with a respective tube 38 which, in turn, extends through the end block 32 for subsequent communication with a vacuum source as will hereinafter become clear. A pair of intermeshing driving elements 44 (FIG. 4) are rigidly affixed to the tubes 38 respectively, on the outer side of end block 34 for swinging flaps 40 in unison, and one of the elements 44 is provided with a cam follower 46 thereon. A cam track 47 (FIG. 11) disposed alongside the path of travel of the buckets 20 is provided for follower 46 whereby to control operation of the flaps 40.

GRABBING FLAPS As shown broadly in FIG. 2 and in detail in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, each bucket 20 includes grabbing means 48 for positively gripping sections disposed within the bucket. Grabbing means 48 includes, adjacent each end of the bucket 20, a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps 50 which extend downwardly from the top of receptacle 36 to a point above the bottom thereof and normally lie substantially flush with the interior walls of the receptacle 36. Flaps 50 are adapted for movement toward and away from one another in a clamping action by means of rocker arms 52 which are affixed to a pair of horizontally extending rods 54 on opposite sides of the receptacle 36 which, in turn, are rotatably carried between end blocks 32 and 34.

As shown in FIG. 5, the block 34 carries mechanism for actuating the grabbing flaps 50 including an elongated, generally T-shaped member 56 which is vertically slidable within block 34 and is yieldably maintained in its lowermost position relative to block 34 by means of a coil spring 58. A pair of arcuate arms 60 respectively affixed to the rods 54 each carries a projection 62 which slidably rides in a horizontal keyslot 64 in the member 56. The lowermost end of member 56 carries a pair of rotatable cam followers 65 and 66 (FIG. i), the latter being disposed on the outside of member 56 and being shiftable into a position substantially against the outer surface thereof. The followers 65 and 66 are designed to ride along a cam track 67 which is identical to track 47 for flaps 40, except that the right end of track 67 is stair-stepped as shown schematically in FIG. 1 with follower 66 normally being the only follower in engagement with track 67 at that time.

DUAL FINGERED DIVIDER In addition to the pneumatically operated suckers 42, each of the buckets 20 has structure which physically contacts the section to separate the folds thereof, and such dividing structure is denoted broadly by the numeral 68 and shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2. The structure 68 includes a pair of flat, blade-like fingers 70 which are respectively carried by opposed, intermeshing mounts 72, the mounts 72 in turn being rotatably carried by the tubes 38 whereby to permit the fingers 70 to be swung in unison in an arcuate path into and out of a juxtaposed relationship. A coil spring 74, shown also in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 on one of the mounts 72 is also secured to one of the rods 54 whereby to yieldably bias the mounts 72 and hence fingers 70 toward a spaced-apart condition. A spring-loaded latch assembly 76 at the top ends of mounts 72 releasably holds the fingers 70 in their juxtaposed relationship as shown in FIG. 8. An elongated lever 78 having a cam follower 80 at its uppermost end is pinned to a thin, flat plate 82 covering a portion of the mounts 72 and has the lower tip end thereof engaging a projection 84 on the mount 72 that carries spring 74.

The mounts 72 are also slidable axially along the tubes 38 whereby to permit shifting of the fingers 70 from a standby position adjacent the flaps 40 into an operative disposition substantially within the mouth presented by flaps 40. A rectangular shaft 86 (FIG. 1) projecting outwardly from the plate 82 slides through the top portion of block 32 to shift the mounts 72 along tubes 38 and is spring-biased toward the flaps 40. A

spring-loaded, vertically actuatable retainer 88 on block 32 releasably holds the shaft 86 and hence mounts 72 in the standby condition of FIG. 1, and a pair of cam followers 90 and 92 are provided on the retainer 88 and shaft 86, respectively.

.VACUUM SYSTEM Details of the vacuum system associated with the suckers 42 are best shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 12-15. Associated with the frame 93 of the apparatus is a vacuum line 94 which extends along substantially the entire length of the upper stretches of chains 22 and has a pair of upper and lower, pneumatic channels 96. Two levels of vacuum ports 98 extend in a series along the path of chains 22, each level communicating with one of the channels 96. An elongated spindle valve 100, rotatable about a vertical axis is provided between each vertically aligned pair of ports 98 and the vacuum channels 96 to effect opening and closing of the ports 98. Two

levels of intersecting passages 102 extending horizontally through each valve 100 serve to selectively communicate the ports 98 with channels 96 to effect such opening and closing, and each valve 100 has a toothed wheel 104 at the lowermost end thereof having its outer periphery adjacent the chain 22 of the bucket 20. The wheels 104 of adjacent valves 100 are vertically offset with respect to one another as illustrated in FIG. 14 to permit the proper spacing of the valves 100.

A vacuum transfer shoe 106 (FIGS. 12 and 13) disposed .between the vacuum ports 98 and each bucket 20, respectively, has an inner component 108 bolted to end block 32 in communication with tubes 38, and an outer head 110 which is slidable over component 108 and yieldably bears against frame 93 in communication with the ports 98. A track 112 extending along the length of frame 93 adjacent the upper stretch of chains 22 slidably receives the head 110 to maintain the latter in registration with the ports 98.

Each of the heads 110 is rectangular in configuration as shown in FIG. 13, has a pair of pneumatically separate, upper and lower chambers 114 correspondend of the apparatus in the same manner as track 67 for followers 65 and 66.

MISFEED SYSTEM intermingled with the completed editions. Accordingly,

ing with the upper and lower ports 98, and has an opening 116 which communicates the interior of component 108 with one of the chambers 114. As shown in FIG. 13, the heads 110 of adjacent buckets 20 in the line thereof have their openings 116 disposed in alternate chambers I14, and the dimensions of the heads 110 are such that adjacent heads are disposed in substantial abutting relationship with one another.

The chain 22 has a series of actuators 118 (FIG. securedthereto for controlling the valves 100, each bucket having an actuator 118 associated therewith, and each actuator 118 having a pair of outwardly projecting probes 120 which are spaced apart a predetermined distance and extend into proximal relationship with the teeth of the valve wheels 104.

EJECTOR ASSEMBLY Each bucket 20 is provided with an ejector assembly 122 which is illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 6.

Assembly 122 includes a pusher plate 124 which normally lies against the bottom of receptacle 36 and is pivotally coupled with a generally Z-shaped control arm 126 which extends along the bottom of receptacle 36, beyond the left open end thereof, and is ultimately pivoted to the end block 32 for swinging about a horizontal axis which extends transversely of the receptacle 36. The lowermost end of block 32 has an enlarged, horizontally extending opening 128 through which the upper leg of arm 126 extends and a vertically extending slot 130 which slidably receives an elongated, actuating member 132. Member 132 has an intermediate, horizontally extending bore 134 in general alignment with opening 128 for clearing the upper leg of arm 126 and also has a transversely extending post 136 which fits into a hole 138 in the upper leg of arm 126 to operatively interconnect the latter and member 132. A coil spring 140 at the upper end of member 132 yieldably biases the latter in a downward direction, and a pair of rotatable cam followers 141 and 142 are provided at the lowermost tip end of member 132. The outer follower 142 is shiftable into a position where it lies against member 132, and the cam track 143 (FIG. 1) for followers 141 and 142 is stair-stepped at the right as shown in FIG. 10, the feeders 26, 28 and 30 are each provided with a sensor 144 for determining whether any sections have failed to exit from the respective feeders 26, 28 and 30 during operation of the assembling apparatus, and a conveyor 146 is provided at the right end of the apparatus for carrying away incomplete editions.

Each of the sensors 144, which may take the form of any one of several types of commercial units presently available, is electrically connected with actuatable units 148 and 150 (FIG. 1) at the right end of the apparatus (FIG. .10) which are designed, when energized, to contact and shift simultaneously the followers 142 and 66 respectively. Similarly, an actuatable unit 152 disposed alongside the path of travel of the buckets 20 prior to the point where the latter start around the right end of the apparatus, is electrically connected with the sensors 144 for effecting shifting of a pin 154 which is slidably carried by the uppermost end of block 34. Pin 154 is adapted to engage mechanism (not shown) along the path of travel of the buckets which, in turn, operates a gate 156 (FIG. 11) on cam track 47 at the entrances to secondary tracks 47a and 47b. Normally, the gate 156 is disposed in its solid line position to open track 47a and shifts to its phantom position to close track 47a only when a misfeed has occurred.

OPERATION In the arrangement of FIG. 10 the feeder station 26 may be directly coupled with the printing press to receive folded outer jacket sections which successively issue from the press, while stations 28 and 30 may be coupled with a series of hand feeders, each of which successively issues folded inner sections therefrom at speeds below the speed of the press. For present purposes only station 28 will be utilized, and in order to supply sections to station 28 at the same speed jackets are supplied'from the press to station 26, the inner sections from all of the hand feeders may be combined above station 28 and then delivered thereto at the proper flow rate. The functions of feeding stations 26 and 28 could be reversed if desired, depending upon which section is chosen to serve as an outer jacket. In most instances, however, as in the case of many Sunday newspaper editions, the station 26 would be utilized to supply the outer jacket containing the most recent news, and the feeding station 28 would be used to supply prepackaged comics and feature sections.

In order to assure proper timing, it is preferred that the large sprocket wheel 158 at the right end of the apparatus in FIG. 10 be operatively coupled with station 28. The steps of assembling complete editions of the newspaper can best be illustrated by concentrating vanced in a clockwise direction by the chains 22. Thus, as a bucket 20 rounds the left end of the chain loop in FIG. 10, the components of the bucket assume the condition illustrated by the bucket in position A. At this time, the flaps 40 are fully spaced apart, opening the mouth of the bucket; the grabbing flaps 50 are in their most spaced-apart condition; the fingers 70 of opening structure 68 are withdrawn from between flaps 40 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 but are in juxtaposed relationship to one another; and the pusher plate 124 of ejector assembly 122 is disposed against the bottom of receptacle 36. As the bucket approaches position B, a folded jacket is delivered by station 26 into the awaiting bucket with the hinge-like fold line of the jacket leading, and with the folded, hard edges of the jacket adjacent-the left end of the bucket viewing FIG. 1.

As the bucket progresses from position B to position C, the jacket nears the bottom of receptacle 36. During this period the tracks 47 and 67 are inclined, forcing member 56 (FIG. 5) to move upwardly against the action of spring 58, thereby rocking the arms 60 toward opposite sides of the bucket to rotate rods 54 and thereby close grabber flaps 50. Thus, flaps 50 close about the jacket, clamping the latter therebetween to prevent rebounding thereof from the bottom of receptacle 36. Simultaneously, the follower 46 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is pushed upwardly to swing elements 44 in a direction to effect closing of the mouth flaps 40. Thus, by the time the bucket has reached position C, the jacket is held at two levels, one of such levels being adjacent the fold line of the jacket by the grabber flaps 50,

and the other of such levels being adjacent the upper free edges of the jacket by the mouth flaps 40. This type of holding action not only centers the jacket within the bucket, but also prevents the jacket from sagging, which would otherwise render the subsequent opening and inserting steps more difficult.

As the bucket advances from C to D, the transfer shoe 106 encounters the first vertical pair of vacuum ports 98 in the series thereof. By this time (FIGS. 12-15) the leading probe 120 of actuator 118 for the bucket 20 has encountered the teeth on a spindle valve 100 for the first two ports 98 and has rotated the valve 100, 90 into a closed condition as illustrated by the valve 100a in FIGS. 14 and 15. As the actuator 118 continues to move in a leftward direction, viewing FIG. 15, its trailing probe 120 engages the next tooth of valve 1000 to again rotate the latter 90 into an open condition, thereby communicating the suckers42 of the bucket 20 with the vacuum line 94 by means of the transfer shoe 106. The suckers 42 thus pneumatically grip the outer folds of the jacket in the bucket in preparation for the succeeding opening steps.

During subsequent movement of the bucket, the suckers 42 remain in constant communication with the vacuum line 94, in spite of the fact that the bucket has moved a substantial distance from the initial pair of ports 98. Moreover, little, if any, vacuum leakage occurs between successive buckets. This-is accomplished by means'of sequential opening and closing of the spindle valves 100 by the respective actuators 118 of each bucket to assure that the ports are closed when the proximal ends of adjacent shoe heads 110 pass in regis tration with such ports, yet are reopened whenever the chambers 1 14 of each shoe head 1 10 are in registration with the ports. Further, the alternate positioning of openings 116 assures that in the remote event leakage does occur in one bucket, the immediately trailing bucket will remain unaffected by such leakage.

As the bucket moves from D to E, the cam tracks 47 and 67 are inclined downwardly such that the mouth flaps 40 and the grabber flaps 50 move a short distance apart whereby the folds of the jacket are parted by suckers 42 to present an open space therebetween. Then, as the bucket moves from E to F, the cam tracks remain in a level condition to maintain the jacket folds in a parted condition and in alignment with fingers 70, whereupon the spring-loaded retainer 88 (FIG. 1) is depressed to release the opening structure 68, causing fingers 70 to shoot into the open space between the parted folds as a single, composite unit. During movement of the bucket from F to G, the latch assembly 76 is tripped to cause the fingers 70 to move away from one another in unison for an equal distance, pushing the jacket folds tightly against the sucker openings on the respective flaps 40. From G to H the cam tracks 47 and 67 are again inclined downwardly whereby the mouth flaps 40 and grabber flaps 50 open to their widest extent and, during such time the spring 74 (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9) continues to bias the fingers 70 apart such that the latter move with the mouth flaps 40 to completely open the jacket. Also during movement from G to H, the final vertical pair of vacuum ports 98 are encountered by the transfer shoe 106, thus terminating the vacuum'pressure applied to the jacket folds by suckers 42. However, it is important to note that in spite of the deactivation of suckers 42 at this point, each jacket fold remains positively held between one of the fingers 70 and a respective mouth flap 40, such that the jacket remains under firm control at that time.

As the moving bucket approaches position I, an article such as a single newspaper section or a package" of preassembled sections is delivered from station 28 into the awaiting, open jacket within the bucket. Then, as the bucket begins to round the right end of the apparatus, moving from position I to position K, the cam follower 92 on shaft 86 (FIG. 1) is engaged by structure on frame 93 to withdraw the fingers 70 from the newspaper sections, and the mouth flaps 40 and grabber flaps 50 are then closed to contain the assembled edition as the bucket continues around the end of the apparatus. During the period that the bucket moves from position K to successive positions L and M, the lever 78 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is acted upon'by structure on frame 93 to swing the fingers 70 into juxtaposed relationship, whereupon the spring-loaded latch assembly 76 takes over to retain the fingers 70 in such relationship, Finally, as the bucket completes its trip around the end of the apparatus and moves through positions R, S and T, the mouth flaps 40 and grabber flaps 50 are opened similtaneously to permit gravitational discharge of the assembled edition. Also at this time, the ejector assembly 122 (FIG. 6) is activated as cam track 143 pushes against the spring-loaded member 132 to swing control arm 126 such that the pusher plate 124 physically discharges the edition onto the moving conveyor belt 31. After ejecting the completed edition, the bucket 20 continues along thelower stretch of the chains 22 and subsequently turns to position A where the cycle begins anew.

It is important to point out at this juncture that the manner in which the folded sections are opened by the apparatus of the present invention is especially suited for situations wherein the material fed to the buckets from station 26 consists of a number of relatively nested sections which have been preassembled by the press. Were it not for the provision of the opening structure 68, subsequent insertion of prepackaged feature sections or the like into the press sections would be difficult. This is due to the fact that even though the folds of the outer press section may be separated and controlled by the vacuum suckers 42, the remaining inner press sections would remain uncontrolled and unopened, presenting an obstruction to the subsequently inserted package. However, the provision of structure 68 and, in particular, the dual fingers 70, assures that the inner press sections will be completely separated along with the outer sections, thus assuring ease of entry of the package.

In the unlikely event that a jacket is not fed to a bucket by the station 26 or an insert is not fed by station 28, the misfeed system is activated. For example, when station 26 fails to feed a jacket, such failure is noted by its sensor 144 which, in turn, activates the unit 152 (FIG. 1) to shift pin 154 within block 34. Pin 154 is thus in position to engage structure (not shown) on frame 93 which shifts gate 156 (FIG. 11) into its dotted line position closing secondary track 47a for follower 46 of flaps 40. Follower 46 is thus forced to enter the outer secondary track 47b when the bucket moves from J to K, thereby opening the flaps 40 between positions M and N. Also between M and N, the unit 150 is activated by sensor 144 to. shift follower 66 against member 34 such that the low step of track 67 is followed instead of the high step thereof. This allows member 56 to shift, thereby opening grabber flaps 50.

Simultaneously with the opening of flaps 40 and 50,

unit 148 is energized to draw follower 142 away from member 132 in preparation for contact with the high step of track 143, such contact thereafter resulting in movement of member 132 and actuation of ejector assembly 122 to discharge the incomplete edition into conveyor 146.

It is also important to note that in the event a jacket is not received by the bucket, the vacuum suckers 42 would be open to the atmosphere between positions F and H were it not for the special configuration and disposition of fingers 70 during this time. As earlier described, when fingers 70 are shifted into disposition between the mouth flaps 40 they are located in registration with suckers 42 and are of sufficient size to cover the latter. Thus, when a jacket is not present and the fingers are moved apart against flaps 40, the suckers 42 are closed by fingers 70 to minimize leakage for the trailing buckets.

FIG. 16 illustrates the flexibility of arrangement which is permitted with the present invention. For example, it is likel'y that a single, manually supplied feeding station could not keep up with the delivery station associated with the press inasmuch as most large presses are capable of printing sections at the rate of at least 60,000 to 75,000 per hour, while the maximum delivery speed of hand feeders is in the neighborhood of 12,000 sections per hour. Thus, a single hand feeder could not deliver inserts at sufficient speeds to ultimately produce 60,000 completely assembled editions per hour. However, by substantially increasing the number of buckets moving along the conveyor line and by rearranging themanner of supplying inserts to the buckets, a number of relatively slow operating hand feeders, each feeding directly to the buckets, can be 'utilized without operating the press at less than its optimum speed.

For purposes of illustration only, an arrangement has been shown in FIG. 16 which is capable of assembling complete editions at the rate of 36,000 editions per hour, assuming that each hand feeding station can operate at 12,000 sections per hour, but it is to be understood that the final rate of assembly can be increased substantially beyond 36,000 per hour up to the optimum speed of the press by simply adding more equipment as will hereinafter becomeclear. In order to accomplish this assembly rate, the single primary stream of sections issuing from the press at 36,000 sections per hour is divided into three secondary streams such that the rate of flow of each secondary stream is 12,000 sections per hour. If these sections from the press are to be used as outer jackets, then secondary streams 160a, 160k and 1606 will be used, while if the press sections are to be assembled within other sections from the hand feeders, secondary streams 160b, 1600 and 160d are used.

The same number of hand feeding stations 162 as secondary streams are utilized, with each station 162 being disposed adjacent one of the secondary streams. When the sections from the hand stations 162 are to be used as outer jackets, the lead station associated with stream 160a is used while the latter remains idle, the opposite being true when the feeder sections are to be used as inserts. Then, by tripling the number of buckets and moving the same at the rate of the press (36,000 sections per hour), sections may be delivered into every third bucket by each feeding station and each secondary stream, ultimately producing 36,000 editions per hour. Thus, by dividing the primary stream as needed and adding the proper number of buckets and hand feeding stations, high speed assembly can be obtained without high speed feeding equipment.

It should therefore be readily apparent that the method and apparatus shown and described herein overcome the problems experienced by other inserting machines and, most importantly, allow assembly of the sections to occur at high speeds directly from the press whereby to maximize efficiency of operation of the latter. However, it may also be seen that the present invention is not limited to final assembly operations using freshly printed sections, but is also well suited for collecting and assembling packages of Sunday feature sections during the week for subsequent combination thereof with press sections on Saturday night.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for opening a folded section, said apparatus comprising:

means for supporting the section;

a double-finger divider operatively associated with said support means and being adjacent the section when disposed therein for separating opposed folds thereof; and

structure on the supporting means for presenting said folds in juxtaposed relationship in alignment with said divider,

said divider being shiftable as a unit into disposition between the folds,

said fingers of the divider being movable away from one another when the divider is in said disposition to push the folds apart and thereby effect opening of the section.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structure includes a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps adapted to be disposed on opposite sides of the section, said fingers being movable away from one another independently of the flaps.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is provided a finger for each flap for retaining a fold of the section between a respective finger and a respective flap.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said structure includes a second pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps spaced from said first mentioned flaps and movable independently thereof for augmenting the alignment of said section by the first mentioned flaps.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is provided resilient means interconnecting said fingers for effecting said independent movement of the flaps.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1; and

a pair of opposed, shiftable vacuum suckers on said support means for cooperating with the divider to open the section,

said fingers covering the suckers to close the same when the divider is in said disposition and a section is absent.

7. In combination with a series of spaced-apart, folded jacket receivers movable by conveyor means along a single predetermined path and each having a vacuum-operated sucker thereon for opening the jacket when disposed therein, means for operating the suckers as the receivers move along said path, said means comprising:

stationary vacuum line means adjacent said path adapted to be connected with a source of vacuum pressure;

.a series of vacuum ports communicating with said line means and extending longitudinally of the path;

structure on each of said receivers communicating with the sucker thereof and disposed to sequentially register with the ports as the receiver moves along the path; and

control means interposed between the ports and the line means for maintaining continuous communication between the sucker on each receiver and the line means as the receivers sequentially move from one end to the opposite end of said path.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means includes a valve element for each port shiftable between a port-opening and a port-closing position, there being an actuator movable with each receiver respectively for engaging said element and shifting the same between said positions as the structure of a respective receiver moves into and out of registration with a respective port.

9. The invention as claimed in claim 7, wherein said line means includes a pair of pneumatically separate channels, alternate receivers in the series communicating with different channels.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 9, wherein said structure includes a transfer shoe on each receiver having a chamber communicating with the sucker of the receiver, said chamber of each shoe being adapted for communication with only one of said channels.

11. In apparatus for assembling an article within a folded section having a pair of hingedly interconnected folds:

an open mouth bucket movable along a predetermined path of travel for sequentially receiving and supporting a section and an article, respectively;

means interiorly of the bucket between the bottom thereof and said mouth for grabbing the section adjacent the fold line thereof as it enters the bucket during movement of the latter to prevent rebounding of the section; and

means adjacent said path of travel for actuating said grabbing means in timed relationship to receipt of the section by the bucket as the latter moves along the path.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein is provided a pair of fingers on the bucket shiftable as a unit between the folds of the section and thence apart to open the section for receiving an article, said grabbing means including a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps disposed to position the section for receipt of said fingers.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11;

means on the bucket for physically ejecting the assembled section and article while the bucket is moving; and

means adjacent said path for actuating said ejecting means.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13; and

first sensor means adjacent said path for determining whether a section has been delivered to the bucket,

said first sensor means being operably coupled with said actuating means for ejecting an article from the bucket when a section is absent.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14; and

second sensor means adjacent said path for determining whether an article has been delivered to the bucket, said second sensor means being operably coupled with said actuating means for ejecting the section from the bucket if an article is not received thereby.

16. Apparatus for assembling an article within each of a series of folded sections, each section having a pair of hingedly interconnected folds, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of open mouth buckets movable in succession along a predetermined path of travel;

, first delivery means adjacent said path for successively feeding a section into each of said buckets as the latter move along the path;

means within each bucket between the bottom thereof and said mouth for grabbing a section as it enters the bucket whereby to retain the section and position the same for opening;

a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable vacuum suckers on each bucket for parting the folds of the positioned section carried thereby to present a space therebetween;

stationary vacuum means for said suckers adjacent said path including a series of vacuum ports extending longitudinally of the path;

structure on each of the buckets for sequentially communicating the suckers thereof with the ports as each bucket moves along the path,

said vacuum means including valve means for open the section in the bucket and thence away from one another to push the folds apart and thereby open the section as the suckers separate;

' second delivery means adjacent said path for successively feeding an article into the opened section of each moving bucket; and means on each bucket for physically ejecting the assembled section and article therefrom.

a a: u: s 4: 

1. Apparatus for opening a folded section, said apparatus comprising: means for supporting the section; a double-finger divider operatively associated with said support means and being adjacent the section when disposed therein for separating opposed folds thereof; and structure on the supporting means for presenting said folds in juxtaposed relationship in alignment with said divider, said divider being shiftable as a unit into disposition between the folds, said fingers of the divider being movable away from one another when the divider is in said disposition to push the folds apart and thereby effect opening of the section.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structure includes a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps adapted to be disposed on opposite sides of the section, said fingers being movable away from one another independently of the flaps.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is provided a finger for each flap for retaining a fold of the section between a respective finger and a respective flap.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said structure includes a second pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps spaced from said first mentioned flaps and movable independently thereof for augmenting the alignment of said section by the first mentioned flaps.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is provided resilient means interconnecting said fingers for effecting said independent movement of the flaps.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1; and a pair of opposed, shiftable vacuum suckers on said support means for cooperating with the divider to open the section, said fingers covering the suckers to close the same when the divider is in said disposition and a section is absent.
 7. In combination with a series of spaced-apart, folded jacket receivers movable by conveyor means along a single predetermined path and each having a vacuum-operated sucker thereon for opening the jacket when disposed therein, means for operating the suckers as the receivers move along said path, said means comprising: stationary vacuum line means adjacent said path adapted to be connected with a source of vacuum pressure; a series of vacuum ports communicating with said line means and extending longitudinally of the path; structure on each of said receivers communicating with the sucker thereof and disposed to sequentially register with the ports as the receiver moves along the path; and control means interposed between the ports and the line means for maintaining continuous communication between the sucker on each receiver and the line means as the receivers sequentially move from one end to the opposite end of said path.
 8. The invention as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means includes a valve element for each port shiftable between a port-opening and a port-closing position, there being an actuator movable with each receiver respectively for engaging said element and shifting the same between said positions as the structure of a respective receiver moves into and out of registration with a respective port.
 9. The invention as claimed in claim 7, wherein said line means includes a pair of pneumatically separate channels, alternate receivers in the series communicating with different channels.
 10. The invention as claimed in claim 9, wherein said structure includes a transfer shoe on each receiver having a chamber communicating with the sucker of the receiver, said chamber of each shoe being adapted for communication with only one of said channels.
 11. In apparatus for assembling an article within a folded section having a pair of hingedly interconnected folds: an open mouth bucket movable along a predetermined path of travel for sequentially receiving and supporting a section and an article, respectively; means interiorly of the bucket between the bottom thereof and said mouth for grabbing the section adjacent the fold line thereof as it enters the bucket during movement of the latter to prevent rebounding of the section; and means adjacent said path of travel for actuating said grabbing means in timed relationship to receipt of the section by the bucket as the latter moves along the path.
 12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein is provided a pair of fingers on the bucket shiftable as a unit between the folds of the section and thence apart to open the section for receiving an article, said grabbing means including a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable flaps disposed to position the section for receipt of said fingers.
 13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11; means on the bucket for physically ejecting the assembled section and article while the bucket is moving; and means adjacent said path for actuating said ejecting means.
 14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13; and first sensor means adjacent said path for determining whether a section has been delivered to the bUcket, said first sensor means being operably coupled with said actuating means for ejecting an article from the bucket when a section is absent.
 15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14; and second sensor means adjacent said path for determining whether an article has been delivered to the bucket, said second sensor means being operably coupled with said actuating means for ejecting the section from the bucket if an article is not received thereby.
 16. Apparatus for assembling an article within each of a series of folded sections, each section having a pair of hingedly interconnected folds, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of open mouth buckets movable in succession along a predetermined path of travel; first delivery means adjacent said path for successively feeding a section into each of said buckets as the latter move along the path; means within each bucket between the bottom thereof and said mouth for grabbing a section as it enters the bucket whereby to retain the section and position the same for opening; a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable vacuum suckers on each bucket for parting the folds of the positioned section carried thereby to present a space therebetween; stationary vacuum means for said suckers adjacent said path including a series of vacuum ports extending longitudinally of the path; structure on each of the buckets for sequentially communicating the suckers thereof with the ports as each bucket moves along the path, said vacuum means including valve means for opening and closing each port individually in timed response to movement of the buckets to maintain the suckers of each bucket activated from one end to the opposite end of said path; a pair of dividing fingers on each bucket shiftable as a unit into the space between the parted folds of the section in the bucket and thence away from one another to push the folds apart and thereby open the section as the suckers separate; second delivery means adjacent said path for successively feeding an article into the opened section of each moving bucket; and means on each bucket for physically ejecting the assembled section and article therefrom. 